Alex Galchenyuk
| birth_place = Milwaukee, Wisconsin | league = NHL | ntl_team = United States | team = Montreal Canadiens | draft = 3rd overall | draft_team = Montreal Canadiens | draft_year = 2012 | career_start = 2010 | career_end = }} Alex Galchenyuk (born Alexander Alexandrovich Galchenyuk on February 12, 1994) is a Belarusian American ice hockey player who was drafted third overall by the Montreal Canadiens in the 2012 NHL Entry Draft. The Sarnia Sting drafted Alex first overall in the 2010 OHL Priority Selection. Playing Career Minor & Junior Hockey Career Alex played his final year of minor hockey with the U16 Chicago Young Americans and quickly became a star player tallying 44 goals and 43 assists, leading coach Bruno Bragagnolio to refer to winning a lottery ticket as "the odds of having another kid like Alex play for you." Alex's performance led to him being drafted No. 1 in the 2010 OHL Priority Selection Draft by the Sarnia Sting. Alex was selected 25th overall in the 2011 KHL Junior Draft by HC Atlant Moscow Oblast which caused his father to express his displeasure in him not being drafted in the first round by the Belarusian team, HC Dinamo-Minsk. In his first season with the Sting, Alex tallied 31 goals and 52 assists for a total of 83 points, which led to him being selected to the OHL 1st All-Rookie team alongside teammate Nail Yakupov. The following year, Alex missed all but two regular-season games and six playoff games with a knee injury. He was selected third in the 2012 NHL Entry Draft by the Montreal Canadiens. On July 23, 2012, Alex signed a three-year entry-level contract with the Canadiens. During the NHL lockout he played for Sarnia in the OHL where he served as captain of the team during his final season playing for the Sting. NHL Career On January 12, 2013, Alex made the Canadiens roster for the season opener, a 2–1 loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs. On January 22, 2013, Alex scored his first NHL goal against Scott Clemmensen of the Florida Panthers, tipping in a shot from Brandon Prust while Brendan Gallagher got his first NHL point, with an assist. He finished the season playing in all 48 games with 9 goals, 18 assists for 27 points and a +14 rating, playing primarily in the third line. Alex finished in the top ten in all three offensive categories among rookies, and was sixth overall in rookie points scoring. Career Statistics International Statistics Awards & Achievements *MWEHL's Top Scorer with 87 points during the 2009–2010 season *Awarded the 2010 Jack Ferguson Award which the OHL presents annually to the player picked first overall in the OHL Priority Selection *1st All-Rookie Team (OHL) for the 2010–11 OHL season Personal Life Alex was born to a Belarusian mother and former Soviet & Belarusian hockey player Alexander Galchenyuk. At the time of Alex's birth, his father was a member of the IHL's Milwaukee Admirals at the time of his birth. The family moved to Europe when Alex was four years old, following his father's hockey career in Germany, Italy, and Russia. They settled in Russia where he began his hockey career. The family moved back to North America when Alex was 15 years old: first to Chicago and then to Sarnia where his dad coaches. Alex speaks 3 languages: Russian, Italian and English. Category:1994 births Category:Montreal Canadiens players Category:Montreal Canadiens draft picks Category:Belarusian ice hockey players